You're Never Alone
by Chistralish
Summary: Both Lucy and Natsu were left alone all those years ago. Then they found Fairy Tail. Their "connected" pasts will come back to save them, but at what cost? And who is the one pulling all the strings? Multiple pairings. Rated T for later chapters.
1. Ch1 And So It Begins

**A/N: Hello! This is the first chapter of my first fanfiction! I hope you all like it! It is set after the timeskip, but before the Grand Magic Games. Also, I included a little bit of Japanese vocabulary in this chapter, so just to clear things up: Niichan = older brother, Neechan= older sister. No confusion now! Hurrah. Now, you are free to read. **

Chapter 1: And So It Begins

"Stripper!"

"Hot head!"

"COME OVER HERE AND SAY THAT!" they yelled in unison.

"Gray, Natsu!" Erza said through a mouthful of cake. She pointed her fork at them as if it was a knife.

They cowered in terror and hugged each other, forcing smiles. "Let's be best buddies today, as usual!" Gray forced himself to say cheerfully.

"Aye sir!" Natsu exclaimed, voice shaking.

"Gray, your clothes," Lucy pointed out, totally monotone. She was used to it by now.

"GAHHH! Natsu, you idiot! This is your fault!"

"It's not my fault you have strange tendencies, ice freak!"

"_And so it continues..."_ Lucy thought as they yelled more banter at each other and threw punches. _"Soon everyone will be at it, again... as always." _As she thought this, the other members of the guild joined in the fight. _"But that's what makes Fairy Tail so fun!"_

_...  
_

Lucy sat at her desk. She took out the box of letters to her mother, some paper, and a pen. She picked up the pen, and wrote.

_Mama, we got back from a mission today. Natsu went out of control again and we would have lost a lot of the reward money, but the client payed for the damages himself, despite Erza's protests. He was a very interesting person, and he looked so strange! He wore really heavy clothes, but the weirdest part was that his eyes were yellow, like a cat! I really don't know. There was nothing else to make me think of him as odd, as the mission was just a common one for regaining a lost item. We didn't get to see what the item was though; it was wrapped up when we finally found it. It had been stolen, but the thief must have dropped it when they were running, as we found it in a nearby fountain. I am slightly curious as to what the item was, but it was probably just a ring or some kind of family heirloom._

_We're all doing well, and I can already feel my memories of the mission fading. I hope you and Papa are happy where you are now. _

_Your loving daughter,_

_Lucy_

_...  
_

The next morning at Fairy Tail, everyone was saying their goodbyes. "Levy, Lisanna, take care!" Lucy told them as she pulled them into a hug.

"Oh, really. I would have thought that Lisanna would have been fine going on missions with you, don't you think, Elfman?" Mira smiled. "But I'm happy that she's becoming close friends with everyone again."

"Am I not a man after all?!" Elfman cried out to the guild. "Lisanna, is that why..." He wept and streams of tears flowed down his face.

"Elf-niichan. If you speak like that, I will call you Elf-neechan!" She giggled. "I'm just going on a mission with Team Shadowgear, for a change! So don't worry."

"Lisanna..!" Elfman cried again. She smiled at him brightly and walked in the direction of the doors, soon followed by Levy, Jet and Droy.

"All of you! Come back safe!" Erza called. They turned and the rest of the guild nodded, smiling.

"See ya' later squirt." Gajeel grinned at Levy. She waved. And then they were gone.

The clock had ticked past another twelve minutes before a familiar dragonslayer and a blue cat arrived at the guild.

"Natsu! Here, here!" Lucy beckoned him over to the job board. His face spread out into his usual bright smile.

"Hey Lucy!" He shouted over the guild as he walked to her. "What did you call me over for?"

"Natsu, I found a job we could do. Look, it's well paying, and it looks really easy!" She pointed to a particularly screwed up piece of paper stuck to the board. Natsu stepped forward and scanned over the words on the page. Once he got near the end of it, he froze.

"...What?"

**A/N: Thanks for reading! If you can, please review. I really want to know how people feel about what I've written so far. Even if it's just a one sentence review like: "OMG I LOVE THIS FNEKBFBVCUWQ" I would be so happy :) Lol. But really. **

**I will update this whenever I can, which might sometimes be after a week or two. But I will try to update at least once a week. But bear with me, I have four tests next week. **


	2. Ch2 Do You See?

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! I was debating on whether I should save this chapter and publish it during the middle of the week (as I have no time to write then), but I decided to upload it today, because it's better earlier than later, right? Thanks not just to the people who reviewed, but all the people who have read the first chapter! But if you did review, thank you. I tried to reply to all of you, but some people don't accept PMs I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 2: Do You See?

"Natsu... What's wrong? It's fine if you don't want to go on this one..." Lucy said carefully. She moved to look for a different job. "No." Natsu said. "Let's do this one after all. You're right Lucy, it looks easy!" He grinned and walked away to sit at a table. Lucy watched him go, a bit confused.

Erza and Gray both agreed to go on the mission. "It will be nice to go on a simple mission for a change. Good idea, Lucy." Erza said. Lucy smiled happily. "I'll go tell Natsu and Happy! I'll see you at the train station, tomorrow morning, okay?" At that, she left to find Natsu.

...

"Get me off this thing..." Natsu mumbled so quietly that you could hardly hear him over the sound of the train. His face was a dull green, and he looked like he was about to introduce his breakfast to the other passengers. Gray laughed. "Natsu, you're so pathetic!" Natsu stopped groaning and went quiet. He looked out the window at the alluring green of the forest. The rest of the train ride went by in silence, with Natsu still watching the world outside the window.

Once the train had stopped, they made their way to the client's house. She was a woman who had obviously lived for a great many years, and her face showed it through her kind but sad features. She filled them in on the details of the mission. "Ah, Fairy Tail's strongest team. I have heard a great deal about you, but I didn't expect you to be the ones to accept my job request. Don't misunderstand me, I am grateful. And please keep this in mind; although my job is a simple one, it is very important. You see, the herbs I have requested you to find are a key ingredient to a medicine I am making for my daughter. She fell ill a few weeks ago, and I believe this medicine is the only way to prevent her leaving us." The room went silent as the wizards digested this.

"So, this mission will save a life?" Lucy asked.

"Yes, perhaps two lives, if I am right. The woman replied.

"What do you mean by that?" Erza asked.

"My granddaughter... I doubt she would have the will to live if her mother died." She said sadly. Lucy's eyes widened. This case sounded a lot like her past. If only her mother could have had a person like this to cure her. "We'll do our best!" Lucy suddenly said, confidently. "We will make sure you have enough of the ingredients you have, so please, save your daughter!" The woman smiled. "Yes, thank you. I'll do my best as well." She nodded. "I will now tell you where to find the herb. I have heard that cat's claw can be found in the nearby forest, in a large clearing." Natsu stiffened. Lucy noticed but made no comment. _"I will ask him about it later."_ She thought.

"We didn't get your name," Gray addressed the woman.

"Oh, that's right. My name is Delia Bishop. There is no need to introduce yourselves, I already know your names. Now hurry along, and please come back quickly."

...

Lucy swatted a branch away from her face. "How much longer is it..?" She moaned. "We've been walking for hours!"

"Not far." Natsu said.

"And how do you know?!" Lucy exasperated. No reply.

"Natsu," Erza said, drawing everyone's attention. "Something is obviously worrying you. Tell us."

"Nothing's worrying me." Natsu replied, and turned away.

"Tell. Us." Erza replied, gritting her teeth. A dark aura emitted from her. She grabbed Natsu by his jacket and lifted him up. "Natsu. We are your friends, you can tell us anything! Don't you dare hide things from us! TELL US!" She finally dropped him and walked away.

"...Wait." Natsu slowly said. "You are right, in a way. But nothing is worrying me." Erza returned to the group. "I'll tell you." Is what he said. And then he told them.

"Where we are heading, is where Igneel disappeared." His fists clenched and his teeth ground together. "Whenever I came to search for him, he wasn't here. Even though he said..." He went quiet and receded into his thoughts.

"_Listen, Natsu. In this world, magic can neither be created nor destroyed. It cannot disappear. I want you to know, Natsu. I will never disappear." _

_I laughed and told him that I already knew that..._

He spoke again. "He told me that the day before he disappeared..! So why?!" Tears rolled down his cheeks. "Why... Igneel..."

They continued through the thick trees until they came to a large rock, imbedded into the rich soil. It was huge, easily as tall as the nearby trees. "We're here." Natsu announced. He walked past the boulder, and they followed him into the clearing. It was as Delia said. Huge. So huge that it took them quite a while before they saw the man opposite them.

**A/N: Heh heh. Sorry for leaving you guys hanging, but if it's too boring, people won't keep reading, right? I want all of you to wonder what happens next :P But again, thanks for reading! And if you can, please review! I love reading people's reviews, they make me so happy! **

**The next chapter will most likely be uploaded on Saturday, sorry about that, but I'm really busy right now. Thanks to my friends who look over my chapters before I upload them! I appreciate it!**


	3. Ch3 Shining Black

**A/N: Here's the new chapter! Celebrations! I wrote this yesterday instead of studying. I just want to thank everyone who is reading this. It makes me so happy when people enjoy reading my writing x) I also realised that I haven't put a disclaimer on any of my chapters. (I see it as kind of pointless... I mean, the website **_**is **_**called ****) But oh well.**

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. Any OCs belong to my imagination, and that's it. **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 3: Shining Black

The man was not very tall, but he wasn't short either. He had his back to them, and was kneeling on the ground, a small satchel lying crumpled on the ground beside him.

"What's he doing?" Happy whispered nervously, looking out from behind the large rock to the other members of the team.

"Why are you hiding?" Erza said, even though she said it just as softly. "Let's get the herbs for Delia, we're wasting time!" She motioned for them to follow her and walked forward. The man reached into his satchel and pulled out a glowing, golden shard of what looked like a crystal. The team stopped.

"What the hell is that?" Natsu frowned.

"Shh!" Erza glared at him.

"Eep! I'm sorry!"

As they fought, Lucy watched the man as he lifted the crystal into the air above his head, and started chanting. She looked fiercely at the group and they stopped fighting.

"Erza, should we stop that person until we know what he is doing?" Lucy asked nervously.

"No. Interrupting this far into whatever spell is being cast could have grave consequences. As much as I hate it, we will just have to wait and see. "

As they observed the man, the crystal shone more brightly, and thin lines formed on its surface. His chanting grew louder as he held the crystal higher. A crack was heard. It echoed throughout the forest, as the sky above them quickly became consumed by an infinite blackness.

...

"What is this?!" Erza yelled, but she couldn't hear herself. Her words seemed to disappear into nothing as she spoke. Natsu, Gray and Lucy were experiencing the same.

"Damn it!"

"What the hell just happened?!"

"What...?" Lucy stared wide eyed at the featureless dome above her as the others merely gawked at each other, with Erza as an exception. She had regained her composure and was instead scrutinizing the crystal held by the man. Still holding it above his head, he slowly released it from his grip, letting it rise into the air while revealing a long crack in the material. It faltered for a moment, but soon regained height and hovered just above the trees, shining again. The gentle glow of the crystal spread and filled the whole sky, bestowing light on the land once again. Out of nowhere, it shattered and the light died out like a candle flame that had been blown out. The man waved his hands in a complex pattern, and the shards of crystal exploded, letting the contained flames of light rise into the sky, forming a graceful, golden dragon. Beauty of such calibre could only belong to a female. Her eyes were of the purest black, darker than the endless shadow in the sky. She roared and no sound came, but the darkness of the sky shattered, revealing the stars beyond. The dragon landed, using her wings to glide down into the vast expanse of the clearing. Upon landing, she stumbled on legs which had been left unused for years. Her scales were gemstones, and the most beautiful thing that had ever been seen by human eyes. Her wings safely tucked away, she hopped to the man and bowed her head, then turned away to look at the wizards behind him. He followed her gaze. His surprised expression was hidden by the heavy hood he wore as he saw them. He quickly turned away and whispered a few words to the dragon. She rumbled in agreement and unfolded her wings. Enveloped in the pitch black of her magic, she rose above the trees and disappeared.

...

All through this, Natsu and the group were watching in shock. A dragon, here? Did she know where the other dragons were? "HEY! Do you know Igneel?!" Natsu shouted into the night sky. He was interrupted by Lucy tugging on his jacket. "Natsu..." she said, panic in her voice. She pointed to the man who was still opposite them, but this time it was different. He was watching them. As he stepped forward with his bag, Erza stood in front of the group.

"Who are you? Stay where you are and answer my questions! We are Fairy Tail wizards!"

"I know that," he said sadly, ignoring her first question. "But it doesn't matter if you are wizards or not. You saw me. That's all that matters." As he said this, he drew a small pocket watch from his satchel and turned the hand back by a few hours. "I'm sorry."

"Wha-?" They didn't finish. Erza, Natsu, Lucy, Gray and Happy dropped where they were standing and fell to the ground, unmoving.

"You won't remember, but if we meet again, call me Rook." As he walked away, his hood fell back, revealing his dull, yellow eyes.

**A/N: When I was looking for synonyms for examining, it came up with "groping." A bit awkward in the context I needed it for. Lol... Just to let you know, I can't update every day from now on. I won't be updating tomorrow, as I am SERIOUS about being busy with tests this week. As always, thank you for reading this chapter. And I absolutely **_**love **_**reviews, so if you would leave one, hearts to you. I will reply. Considering this chapter, a lot happened in so few words xD I am a bit worried about that, but I hope it was okay. (The reason I didn't publish this chapter yesterday was because I wanted my friend to look over it first)**

**On another note, have any of you heard the song "Welcome to the Show"? I was listening to it while writing this (along with Jitter Doll) and I kept mishearing "hands high" for "hentai." It was a bit disturbing. Until next time!**


	4. Ch4 Where Are We?

**A/N: Okay, this chapter starts off a bit awkwardly. Ahahah. Totally unintentional... Dunno if you'll get it or not. A lot more dialogue in this chapter, too. But I'm happy about that. It's harder to keep them in character though... Oh well. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Sorry for not updating earlier, but as I mentioned in an earlier author's note, I've been busy. Thanks for waiting :D **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail! Any OCs are mine, but that's it. **

**Since I haven't updated for a while, here's a recap:**

**"Who are you? Stay where you are and answer my questions! We are Fairy Tail wizards!"**

**"I know that," he said sadly, ignoring her first question. "But it doesn't matter if you are wizards or not. You saw me. That's all that matters." As he said this, he drew a small pocket watch from his satchel and turned the hand back by a few hours. "I'm sorry."**

**"Wha-?" They didn't finish. Erza, Natsu, Lucy, Gray and Happy dropped where they were standing and fell to the ground, unmoving.**

**"You won't remember, but if we meet again, call me Rook." As he walked away and his hood fell back, revealing his dull, yellow eyes.**

**Japanese vocabulary used in this chapter: Obaa-chan = Grandmother**

Chapter 4: What Happened to Us?

Lucy woke up, groaning. She tried to sit up, but found a weight on top of her. "Huh?" She pushed at it, and it grumbled. Recognising his voice, she exclaimed, "Natsu! What are you doing? GET THE HELL OFF ME!" She attempted to push him off herself again.

"...I think I'm gunna be sick..." He mumbled.

"WHY? And if you are, please GET OFF ME FIRST!"

"Transportation...please stop moving...urg..."

With one final heave, Lucy managed to push Natsu off of herself. "Bleeurgh..!" He threw up, just missing her. Standing up, Lucy looked around. "Huh... where are we?" she said, asking no one in particular.

"It looks like we're in a forest of some kind." Erza said, having gained consciousness.

"How did we get here?" Lucy asked. "We were on the train just a moment ago!"

Erza nodded. "I don't know either, and I can't remember anything. There must be a reason, but for now we should find our client and get the details of our job. We can investigate after the job is done."

"Yeah..." Lucy said nervously.

"What is it, Lucy?" Erza asked.

"Do you think... no, it's nothing. I'll get Natsu and Gray." She broke off the conversation and went to find them. _"There's no way. If someone attacked us, there is no way they could have defeated Erza. Also, we would have had injuries!" _Lucy thought.

...

"What the hell, Natsu!" Gray growled, rubbing his head. He had woken to his pink-haired rival poking his face with a stick.

"I don't want to wait for you to get your beauty sleep, ice-princess." Natsu grinned.

"You wanna fight, fire-breath?" Gray replied, cracking his knuckles.

"Wait!" They turned around to see Lucy running towards them.

"What is it, Lucy?" Gray asked.

"You two truly are idiots. Aren't you wandering what we're doing here?" She sighed and looked away from them, placing her hand on her forehead.

"Eh?" Natsu's face twitched.

"Here?" Gray asked, only then taking in his surroundings. "Where the hell are we?"

"Hahaha, you idiot, Gray." Natsu laughed. "We're in a forest."

"LIKE HELL I DON'T KNOW THAT FIRE-FACE!"

"HAH? YOU WANNA BRING IT, STRIPPER?"

Lucy had her eyes tightly shut and was doing her best not to scream at the two. Her fists trembled... then relaxed. There was a glint in her eye as she said, "Natsu...Gray..."

They paused their arguing to look at her. "Wh-What is it Lucy?" Natsu asked nervously.

"You're making Erza wait." She said.

That single sentence was enough to make Natsu and Gray noticeably paler. They ran past Lucy, in the direction she had come from. "They never change..." Lucy smiled. She followed them.

...

"Happy, you take Natsu and find out where we are." Erza ordered.

"Aye!" Happy cheered. He grabbed Natsu by his jacket and pulled him into the sky. Once up, they looked around. The land spread beneath them like a map, and trees were closely clumped all across the landscape. "Natsu, look!" Happy said, and nodded in the direction of a light brown blur in the distance. "There's a town!"

"Good job, Happy! Let's go back down and tell Erza and the others."

"Aye!" They descended quickly. "There's a town that way," Happy told them; pointing in the direction he had seen it.

"Well done, you two." Erza slapped her hand down on Natsu's shoulder. "Let's go." She led them in the direction Happy had pointed.

...

Hours later, the forest was slowly thinning. All of a sudden, the trees were gone and the town was in sight. "Finally, my legs feel like they're going to fall off." Lucy groaned.

"But Lucy, Horologium walked half the way for you." Happy stated.

"Shut up you stupid cat!" Lucy retorted.

"We need to make sure this is the right place before we celebrate," Gray said.

"Once we're in the town, we can ask one of the townspeople." Erza replied. By now they were in front of the town gates, which were actually just that; a small waist height gate, its only purpose to keep out small animals. "What the hell, this place is so small. What sort of person living here could afford 200 000 Jewels for a job?" Gray asked.

"We'll find that out when we meet out client." Erza said, carefully walking through the gate, soon followed by her companions. Soon enough, they found someone. "Excuse me." Erza gained the little girl's attention. "Gray, give me the job flier." He complied and handed it to her. She read it quickly, taking the name at the bottom of the page into her memory. She spoke to the girl again. "Does Delia Bishop live in this town?"

The little girl nodded nervously. "Y-Yes, she's my grandmother."

"Good. Can you take us to her?"

"Um..."

"Don't worry, we're just here for a job. We're wizards!" Lucy smiled at the little girl kindly. "What's your name?"

"Oh, you're the wizards who came to help my mother!" She said excitedly. "Follow me!" She continued on the way she was going earlier, then stopped and looked back. "I'm Heather. Now come on, Obaa-chan will worry if I'm out for too long!"

...

Heather, Lucy, Natsu, Erza, Gray and Happy continued through the darkening streets of what they now knew was called Tully Village. They followed Heather until she stopped in front of a large cottage. "This is it." She said, while opening the door. "I'm home, Obaa-chan, Okaa-san!"

**A/N: Just in case any of you were wandering, the reason Natsu didn't recognise the clearing was because he had no idea where he was. He only recognised it last time because he knew where they were. Just wanted to make it clear :D. I mean, it could be anywhere if you didn't know, right? **

**The next chapter is going to be longer than usual, because I want to pay you guys back after making you wait so long. I hope you look forward to it :). **

**You know, before I wrote this fanfic, I never knew how nice it was to get a review. I used to just think, "Oh, other people will write a review, I don't need to." But once you know how it feels, you just want to make other people happy too, right? :D. **

**As always, please review! I'll reply as soon as I read it :D (If you accept PMs)**


	5. Ch5 Confusion

**A/N: Okay, tell me if I'm wrong. But in this chapter, there is again some Japanese vocabulary. Obaa-chan = Grandmother, Okaa-san = Mother, Oba-san = Auntie (some people refer to women older than them as auntie, as shown in this chapter). I hope you like this chapter. And I'm sorry for not updating for a while. I definitely won't do it again – and I don't want to make any excuses. But: I am having problems with this story. I know where this is going, but I don't know how to get there without the story moving really quickly. Would you guys be okay if that happens? Tell me :) Please enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 5: Confusion

As the door opened, warm light flooded onto the cold cobblestone outside. "Welcome," Heather politely told her guests. The girl smiled and gestured for them to follow her. She led them through narrow corridors into a well-lit living room, and greeted the old woman seated there. "Hello, Obaa-chan. I found the people who are going to get the herbs for Okaa-san!" She giggled. "Well, they found me," she added. Erza chose this moment to introduce herself and her teammates. "We are the wizards from Fairy Tail. We came for the job request." The woman slowly eased herself from her chair, the bones in her back cracking as she did so. Turning, she proceeded to examine the wizards with her eyes. "Do you have them?" That simple question threw the team into confusion. A moment of silence passed through the room as they attempted to catch their thoughts. Finally, despite the fact that he has no idea what 'they' were, Natsu asked the question. "Have what?" The wizards only became more confused when the woman's complexion turned a dark red and she glared at them. One could almost see a horde of ferocious demons leaping from her pupils, ready to strangle the ones who angered their mistress. "Have _what?"_ The word whipped from her mouth and the room froze. "You _dare _come back here, _without the herbs I requested?"_ Her voice rose, not just the amplitude, but the pitch as well. "U-um... I'm sorry Oba-san, but we've never seen you before." Lucy said nervously.

"..." The finger the woman had raised dropped back down. "...What?" She finally asked. "But I saw you all yesterday..." By now everyone was confused.

"Obaa-chan, are you okay?"Heather asked. "You have been a bit different for the past few days. Maybe you should have a rest?"

"Ah, my dear child. I am fine, thank you. I am merely worried for your mother." Delia said, causing the little girl to drop her head. "But I would like to speak to the wizards alone. Go to your room." She ordered, motioning towards the corridor.

"Yes, Obaa-chan..." Heather left the room.

After making sure her granddaughter had left the room, Delia jerked her head back into the direction of Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Erza and Happy. "Now..." she spoke slowly, unsure of what she was going to say.

After a long, awkward time of silence, Erza started to speak. "We-"

"I know." Delia interrupted her. The wizards sent her a quizzical look. "I know, you _told _me that you haven't seen me before. But how can you be sure? Perhaps you forgot." It was such a confusing thing to say, but she said it so simply. "Hah?" The team frowned. "What do you mean?" Erza asked.

"You _did_ come here yesterday. You may not remember, but _I _do." She stared directly into their eyes. "Please, don't act so confused. Let us just pretend this mystery never arose." She sat back down in her chair. "Now, allow me to fill you in on the details of my request."

...

"Damn it! We were so confused that we didn't ask her what she was talking about!" Erza growled as she threw her gauntlet-covered hands into a nearby tree. Her other team members faltered in their path through the woods. "Erza..." Lucy said hesitantly. "We can ask her as soon as we return with the herbs... So let's continue!" She looked around. "Plus, this forest is creepy! I can't believe she just sent us out here! I mean- it's the middle of the night!" Lucy growled as her fist threatened to punch the air above her head. "Lucy... Thank you. You're right. Everyone! Let's go!" Erza pointed into the trees ahead. "It's this way." She walked ahead.

Behind the group, Natsu stood and stared into the trees ahead, thus into the large clearing which he knew was there. "Why here..." He said sadly to himself.

Ahead, Lucy turned to look back. "Natsu? Are you okay?" He appeared to be in a trance, but snapped out of it at the sound of her voice. "Yeah, I'm fine." He grinned, showing off his sharp teeth. "That's good." Lucy smiled back. "Now, hurry up, or we'll be left behind."

...

"I will have to think deeply on this." She said to herself. "_He_ has begun to act."

"Obaa-chan! Dinner's ready!" A voice called.

"I'll be there right away, Heather. Thank you."

**A/N: Okay, so I didn't proof read this one. I just wanted to upload it as soon as possible, so I'm sorry if there are any mistakes. Also... I said I was going to write an extra-long chapter, but instead I just put it off for ages -_- Again, I am very sorry. From now on, I will try harder to keep my promises. On another note...**

**I love reading reviews, so please write one! Also, vote on the poll on my profile page! The results will determine the pairing of my next fanfiction! (Oh yes, I am writing a LOT more from now on)**


	6. Ch6 Follow the Tree

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! I said in the last chapter that I was going to write a lot more from now... And YES. I am. I really want to start my next story (it's going to be awesome) but hardly anyone has voted on my poll so I don't know what pairing it's going to be. I don't want to decide on my own. I want you guys to decide. So please go onto my profile page and vote!**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 6: Follow the Tree

"_What do I do... They're my friends, I should tell them. But... these emotions aren't important right now. We need to help Oba-san... That's our mission." _Natsu continued to fight with himself until he came to an acceptable conclusion. _"I don't need to tell them right now," _he thought firmly. _"I'll tell them later, once we've given the stuff to Oba-san."_

...

Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy and Happy followed the river, as Delia had instructed. Remembering the old woman's words, Lucy thought back. _"Follow the river east of here until you reach a large willow tree. Trust me, you will know when you see it. After that, go left. The clearing is surrounded by rocks, so if you see a lot of them, you know you're almost there. Good luck, and be quick." Her eyes turned to look to the left and she bit her lip. "There are strange rumours surrounding... recent events." _

Looking up, Lucy saw that she had walked ahead of the group, so she looked back. Their eyes were transfixed on something behind her_. _"Eh? What is it?" She followed their mesmerised eyes to a beautiful, old willow tree.

It was huge.

The tree had grown unnaturally tall, with tangled limbs stretching their fingers far into the sky. Glossy green leaves were tightly clumped around the tips of the branches.

"Whoa, it's so big!" Natsu said suddenly, walking up to it. He rested his hand against the trunk.

"Wow Pinkie, I didn't know you had value for anything other than yourself..." Gray scoffed.

"Shut up, Pervert! It's not like I don't know if something's pretty!" His face flushed a pale pink to match his hair and his eyes flickered in Lucy's direction, not long enough for anyone except for himself to notice. He blushed a darker shade. "Come on everyone, I don't want to stand around doing nothing! This job is taking too long anyway." He followed Delia's instructions and turned to face to the left. _"Come on." _He gestured impatiently at his team and grinned his trademark smile. _"Let's go."_

...

After following Delia's instructions, they finally found an area dotted with small stones. _"_We've been walking for so long..." Lucy complained. "Are we nearly there yet? It's going to get dark soon and I _really _don't want to spend the night out here."

"Ne ne, Lucy... I'll give this fish to you!" Happy said, holding out the fish.

"No! Why would I want your fish?!"

"I was just trying to cheer you up, jeez..."

Lucy sighed, deflated. "I just want to get the money for my rent and go home..."

"It won't be much farther, Lucy." Natsu said confidently. "Look, the rocks are getting bigger." He swept his arm in an arc, showing her that the rocks which were once pebbles were now large boulders. "How do you know that? Delia didn't say _anything _about the size of the stones changing. You don't kn-"

"Look." Natsu interrupted her and pointed to the long, rolling clearing in front of them. "We're here." He grinned. "Alright..." Lucy said. "But how are we going to get the herbs back to Oba-san?"

"Like this." Erza smiled as she was surrounded by a sharp, bright light. Once it had dimmed down, she was there, but had reequipped into a different set of clothes. She was wearing a flowing, knee-high white dress, a sunhat, and was carrying a woven basket. "We can put the cat's claw in here," she said, placing the basket down in a bed of the said herbs. "This plant follows the description Oba-san gave us. This patch is large enough to fill the basket. Once we've done that, we can give them to Oba-san and then find out what happened earlier."

"Okay." Lucy said.

"Yosh! I'm all fired up!" Natsu yelled and punched the air.

"Uh... yeah." The rest of the team sweat dropped.

With all five of them pulling the plants from their roots, it didn't take long at all the fill the basket. Standing, Erza picked it up and waited for the others to do the same. Once everyone had stood and brushed the dirt from their clothes, she led them away from the clearing and towards the way they had come. They had not moved far when Natsu stopped. "What's wrong, Natsu?" Happy asked."I heard someone scream." His eyes squinted as he listened for more.

"_Stop! Let her go!" He heard the sound of metal grating against something sharp... claws? "You'll have to kill me before I let you take her!"_

"Huh... that sounded like..." his eyes widened.

**A/N: It's all action next chapter. **

**Please review! I didn't get a single review for my last chapter (apart from the one from my irl friend telling me she wasn't even going to bother reading it yet) and that made me a bit sad... Please take a little time to write a review! **

**But yeah... I do realise that the recent chapters haven't been very good... It's so hard to write -_- I made stuff too complicated... It will be easier to write a good chapter once all that is out of the way. **

**PLEASE REVIEW and **_**VOTE ON THE POLL**_** on my page!**

**By the way... have I gotten better at writing? Please tell me what you think!**


	7. Ch7 Searing Iron

**A/N: Uh, it's... been a while. Three months, maybe a little bit more? Sorry about that D:, but I really haven't felt like writing anything for a long while. Well, that would be a lie. I wrote a short story about Gray, which I will be continuing in a little bit. Go check that out, if you haven't seen it yet. I hope you like this chapter, and are happy that I finally updated. **

**Japanese vocabulary used in this chapter: Nakama = companion/friend**

Chapter 7: Searing Iron

"LISANNA!" Natsu roared as he ran in the direction of her shouts. Completely unbeknownst to him, another dragon slayer was doing the same thing, but for another girl.

...

I tore through the trees, wrenching them out of my path. Her scream still rang in my ears, making them ache. As my long hair was pulled from my face by the rough fingers of the trees, the only thing I wanted was to be closer to her, to protect her. The grass was ripped from its roots as I skidded to a stop at the edge of a small clearing. The few trees that were here were etched with jagged claw-marks, the memory of a recent battle. Ignoring the strong scent of tree sap, I placed a hand on the trunk and breathed in the raw perfume of the one I was searching for, along with an unfamiliar aroma. They had held her here not long ago.

The bastards.

How dare they touch her.

Deciding it was time to move on, I did. The scent was fresh, I could catch them. But one thing worried me. Among them... I could smell something much more potent. Or _someone._ Rich with the smell of death, he led the party. I growled to myself. I need to hurry. Re-energizing with a quick snack of metal bolts, I grinned a cocky smile. This'll do it. Clasping my hands into a barrel for my breath to pass through, I bellowed out the following spell; "ROAR OF THE IRON DRAGON!" A tornado of shrapnel and other sharp shards of metal burst from my mouth, flattening the previously lush forest, which created an uneven dirt path, but nevertheless, a path. Much faster to travel along than a maze of tall trees. I mentally high-fived myself and began to run along the track, which travelled long into the distance, in the direction of the girl I was searching for.

...

"That was definitely Lisanna's voice..." Natsu thought as he rocketed past the trees. His fire was especially useful at times like this, when he could use it as a booster. It roared from his elbows, providing extra momentum which pushed him along. The smell of smoke permeated the air as the forest blazed. Far behind Natsu, his team followed the trail of fire, doing their best to evade floating embers and avoid breathing in smoke. They knew that something was wrong. And there was no point in asking what. Natsu only reacted like this when one of his nakama were in danger.

...

I need to be faster. Faster._ Faster! _I could feel the heat of the air around me increase as I sped up. I know that Lisanna is strong... and she isn't alone. Jet, Droy and Levy should be with her. But the ones with them... emanate a stench of death. It's disgusting. And it scares me. It reeks of unfulfilled wishes and hurt. I increased my pace further. It won't be long now. The scent is close. Very close. I threw aside the branches that were in my way and walked cautiously out from the cover of the trees. I had followed their scent out of the forest. In front of me was a sharp wall of rock which stood high above my head, and to my right there was nothing but the remains of a small campfire and faint outlines on the dirt of where people had been previously seated. With no other place to turn, I looked to my left.

That's when I saw him.

...

A young man dressed in a thick grey coat adorned with multiple leather straps and metal chains. A beautifully decorated wooden lute was held by the handle in his right hand. Light etchings carved symbols into the smooth wood. He wore baggy black pants and a pair of well-polished knee-high dark brown boots. He acknowledged Natsu with pale green eyes, barely visible under his long white fringe. The rest of his spiky, ashen hair was pulled off of his face with a faded blue bandana. But that's not what interested Natsu. No. _Oh no. _

"Na...tsu." A small voice came from behind the man. Lisanna. Barely conscious, she reached out a hand towards her friend. _Crunch._ The man stared emotionlessly at the girl as she screamed in pain. He had pushed the heel of his boot into her hand. He returned his gaze to the now enraged dragonslayer. "_You..."_ Natsu started.

"Sorry." The man replied, his voice cracking. "But I had to do that. Master Zeref said that you aren't allowed to make contact with the hostage."

Natsu growled. "Zeref...huh. Well, I don't care who the hell it is. But you've tried to reduce Lisanna into a... _hostage. _Lisanna isn't _just a hostage_. She's my friend, and you hurt her! I won't forgive you!" Yelling the last sentence, he pulled his lit fist back and lunged at the man.

**A/N: Oh Natsu, you're so screwed. And by the way, I didn't just forget about the rest of the team! They come later. Reviews would be VERY appreciated! I really love reading them, they make me happy :), and I will reply! Also, some important things:**

**Please VOTE on the POLL on my profile page! (It's about a new story!)**

**Should I change my Author's Notes a bit? Is it annoying to have one at the beginning AND the end? Please tell me if it bothers you!**

**Don't be shy! Review the story! All of you guys are awesome, and I love talking to you :D**


	8. Ch8 Very VERY VERY IMPORTANT AN

**A/N: Very very important author's note!**

**I am thinking of re-writing this story, as I am not happy with it right now. If I don't re-write it, then I will probably never continue this story. So if you want another chapter, please say so, and I will have one out as soon as I can write it c:**

**And since it is against FanFiction rules to have an entire chapter devoted to me talking about me, I guess I'll just make up a little short story...**

**Berries**

Once upon a time there was a little boy who was obsessed with blackberries. His best friend was a girl who was in love with blueberries... among other things. One day his favourite blackberry bush withered. The leaves turned brown and dropped dead. He was very upset, as this plant had been given to him by his step-brother (who was obsessed with snowberries). However, his blueberry loving friend used her powers to quickly generate some water to rejuvenate the plant and nurse it back to life. Her efforts saved the plant, and soon after the boy proposed to the girl and she married him the end.

**I might write that properly some time...**


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